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- Guard Young's contract as BYU gymnastics coach was not renewed after 11 years.
- Young led BYU to six top 25 finishes and a Big 12 Coach award.
- BYU seeks new leadership for gymnastics as it transitions into the Big 12.
PROVO — BYU will be looking for a new women's gymnastics coach to take the Cougars into a new Big 12.
The Cougars announced Wednesday that longtime gymnastics coach Guard Young did not have his contract renewed for the upcoming season, athletic director Brian Santiago said in a brief statement.
Young, a former six-time All-American and two-time NCAA champion with the BYU men's gymnastics team, had been in his current position since 2015. The 48-year-old son of former United States Olympic team captain Wayne Young attended BYU from 1996-2000, when the university announced it was eliminating the sport (alongside men's wrestling).
As a senior, Young was also the runner-up for the individual all-around national title, and was inducted into the BYU Athletics hall of fame in 2010. He spent four years with the U.S. national team, winning team silver at the world championships in 2001 and the 2004 Olympics in Athens, Greece.
During his time as head coach, Young led the Cougars to six top 25 final rankings, including the No. 1 spot in the now-dissolved Mountain Rim Gymnastics Conference for three straight seasons before joining the Big 12 in 2023.
Young was named Big 12 coach of the year after the Cougars finished third in the conference before ending the season with a third-place finish in the NCAA's Tempe regional with a final score of 196.250.
The high point of the season included a season-high 197.225 in a win over then-No. 14 Clemson on March 13.
"We are grateful for Guard's 11 years of commitment and hard work with the BYU gymnastics program," Santiago said in a statement. "His efforts in coaching and mentoring student-athletes have made a meaningful impact and we appreciate the time and dedication he has given through his tenure. After thoughtful evaluation of the program's direction, we believe this is the right time for a change in leadership that can take BYU gymnastics to the next level."
— Guard Young (@guardyoung) April 8, 2026
Young was hired in May 2015, replacing longtime co-head coaches Brad and Dawn Cattermole following the couple's retirement from a 28-year career leading the program.
BYU did not give any other reasons for not renewing Young's contract, which was renewable year-over-year like most Olympic sports coaches at the university, according to sources.
"I've always encouraged my athletes to give their 'ALL' each and every day, and I can confidently say I've done the same," Young said in a statement thanking athletes, staff and supporters of his program for the past decade. "I'm thankful for the experience and relationships built, and I look forward to what's ahead."
After Oklahoma left the conference for the SEC, the Big 12 added Utah, Arizona State and Arizona from the Pac-12 to pair with BYU, West Virginia, Iowa State and affiliate member Denver to former the new conference.
While the Red Rocks have won back-to-back Big 12 championships, other programs haven't fared as well. Most notably was Iowa State, which suspended its season before announcing the Cyclones were discontinuing the program immediately.
At the time, Iowa State athletic director Jamie Pollard cited "unresolvable" issues between players, coaches and parents, and said the university would add another women's sport that "provides equal or additional participation opportunities," according to the Associated Press.
